Unix and Linux Zeroconf Networking

About Zeroconf

This project supports the
IETF zeroconf protocols,
and other techniques
used to configure IP networks without needing either a sysadmin
or any kind of master server. The OS support is for UNIX,
with a focus on GNU/Linux and BSD type systems.

There are four main areas of work:

Allocate addresses without a DHCP server.

Translate between names and IP addresses without a DNS server.

Find services, like printers, without a directory server.

Allocate IP Multicast addresses without a MADCAP server.

A final requirement is that the solutions in the four areas must
coexist gracefully with larger configured networks. Zeroconf protocols
must not cause harm to the network when a zeroconf machine is plugged
into a large network.

It is important to understand that the purpose of zeroconf is not
solely to make current personal computer networking easier to use, though
this is certainly a useful benefit. The long-term goal of zeroconf is to enable
the creation of entirely new kinds of networked products, products that today
would simply not be commercially viable because of the inconvenience and support
costs involved in setting up, configuring, and maintaining a network to allow
them to operate.

It is expected that most applications will require updating to take advantage
of these features. That is also in-scope.

This website is currently maintained by
Brad Hards.
You can post comments/suggestions to him, or directly
to the mailing list.